List of references to Pokémon in popular culture

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References to the Pokémon franchise are often made in other media. While Pikachu is a common target due to its prominence as the mascot of the franchise, other Pokémon, characters, and elements of the various Pokémon series are often lampooned.

References in TV, movies and radio

Series/Movie Episode Details Image
100 Greatest 100 Greatest Toys with Jonathan Ross In 100 Greatest Toys with Jonathan Ross, Pokémon was featured as the 37th greatest toy, with emphasis being on the TCG, and the problems it created for schools dealing with the theft of cards.
30 Rock Stride of Pride Pokémon is a recurring theme in this episode with one of Jack's girlfriends. When referring to Jack's polygamy, she said that it was like Pokémon the way Jack had "gotta catch 'em all". Jack pluralizes Pokémon as "Pokémons" only to have her correct him. Jack brings up Pokémon numerous times throughout the episode in reference to his girlfriend, including referring to a text message he got as being "Pokémon'd". At the end of the episode, Liz writes a letter on her laptop, and also refers to "Pokémons" and her life as "little creatures running around".
97.3 Forth One N/A In an airing on 14th December 2011, the Pokémon Theme was briefly played, as the hosts mentioned that Pokémon was the top Christmas present at the height of its popularity.
American Dad! A Piñata Named Desire While Steve was remembering about he and his friends used to have sleepovers when they were little, a pink and purple Pikachu is seen on the t-shirt worn by his friend Toshi. APinataNamedDesire.png
Austin Powers in Goldmember N/A The movie features people in costumes of Charmander and Pikachu among those running from "not Godzilla" in the Tokyo scene. The deleted scenes also feature background appearances of Meowth and Celebi costumes, the Pikachu car and a Dragonite plushie. Austin Powers Goldmember Charmander.jpg
Arthur Arthur Loses his Marbles Muffy says that she has fifty-four Dopémon cards in a pack, in resemblance to Pokémon cards, and with one card a take on a Pikachu called "Stinkachu". ArthurLosesHisMarbles.png
Bad Santa N/A One child asks "Santa" for Pokémon.
Beast Machines Revelations, Part I: Discovery Jetstorm says "Gotta catch 'em all!"
Bernard's Watch Many episodes Bernard's room is often shown to have first-generation Pokémon posters.
The Big Bang Theory The Cooper/Kripke Inversion Even after being taken off his joint checking account with his wife until he learned the value of money, Howard Wolowitz still spent his lunch's allowance on Pokémon cards.
Brum Unknown Pokémon plushes can be seen at a stall in a fairground.
The Cleveland Show Ain't Nothin' But Mutton Bustin' While Cleveland and Rallo visit the County Fair, one of the stands has Gengar plushies. AintNothinButMuttonBustin.png
Codename: Kids Next Door Operation: A.R.C.H.I.V.E. A character that can be seen in the audience looks similar to Ash in his original series clothes. OperationArchive.png
Community Digital Estate Planning Hilda's long list of conversation topics includes "old man trainer", "fly on a bird", "cinnamon island", and "seal along the shore", a reference to the Old man glitch.
Detective Conan Unknown Ash, Misty, and Brock make a cameo appearance as kids who were staying in a certain train station. However, the distinct facial features each possess, such as Brock's eyes, their hairstyles, etc., were slightly altered and switched between the three kids.
Drawn Together N/A One of the main characters, Ling-Ling, is a direct parody of Pikachu. He mentions that one of his pastimes is giving children seizures. Ling-Ling.png
Dustin in Fowl Play N/A When Dustin the Turkey was wondering what new job he should get, Socky asks "are we going to become Pokémon Trainers?"
EastEnders N/A Doctor Anthony Trueman explains Yin and Yang to his ex Kat Slater, who then replied "Yin? Yang? You're not letting Pokémon characters take over your life?"
Emmerdale N/A Sandy Thomas plays an orange DSi, a sound effect from a Pokémon Ranger game is heard and he crys out in annoyance "Every time I get to the big boss Raikou on level 3, I need Gabby, only a child can work this wretched thing", much to his son Ashley's annoyance. However, the music that is heard from the game is the initial encounter theme, which is inconsistant with what Sandy had stated to have happened. File:Emmerdale Pokemon Ranger Guardian Signs.png
ER And in the End... A patient says "I am the chosen one, come to be known as Lugia." File:AndInTheEnd.png
Everybody Loves Raymond Hackidu The episode focuses "Hackidu", which is a spoof of Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!. Ray's daughter Ally makes a trade with a boy, giving him a sizable stack of cards for just one of hers, called "Scramisaur". Ray thinks the trade is unfair, so he talks to the boy's father and the trade is reversed. Ray then learns that he shouldn't have gotten the trade reversed, and attempts to get the card back. Hackidu is also watched on TV during the episode. Hackidu.png
Family Guy April in Quahog A poster depicting a superhero that strongly resembles a Machoke can be seen in Chris's room. AprilInQuahog.png
Fillmore! Test of the Tested A cheerleading coach says that her team, while in a human pyramid, is "as strong as a Geodude using its Harden attack". TestOfTheTested.png
Gabriel Iglesias N/A His friends have given him the nickname "Pikachu" and this is often referenced during his stand-up performances, occasionally mimicking Pikachu's voice.
George Lopez Unknown When George and Benny discuss ways to make money, the former suggests that the latter pretend to be a Pikachu in Mexico.
Ghost Stories (dub) Akane-san of the Broadcasting Room!! Voice of the Dead The Pokémon anime is referenced when Leo states that the broadcast begins right after Pokémon. File:Ghost Stories.png
Good Luck Charlie A L.A.R.P. in the Park The episode features a card game named "Pokeo," based on the Pokémon Trading Card Game and Yu-Gi-Oh!.
During this episode the characters mention type advantage, for example: "Grass power is no match for volcano power".
Unknown A picture of an Eevee is drawn on a chalkboard in the basement.
Good Vibes The Grass is Always Greener When Mondo sees Woody's room for the first time, he comments on all the awards for competitions he has. Woody admits that many of them were purchased on ebay by his parents. Mondo then asks how much they spent on the "lame Pokémon tournament participant ribbon", a gold ribbon with a Pikachu on it, to which Woody claims that he won on his own. Good Vibes Pokemon.png
Green Lantern N/A A cartridge of Pokémon Sapphire can be seen in Dr. Hector Hammond's apartment.
The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy It's Hokey Mon! The episode features a trading card game named "Hokey Mon". ItsHokeyMon.png
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san Like a Close Encounter of the Third Kind and Great Conspiracy X Nyaruko summons her pets Shanta and Nephren-Car from a Poké Ball-esque object, during which she says 「君に決めた!」 Kimi ni kimeta! ("I choose you!")[1][2] Nyaruko.png
Hayate the Combat Butler Many episodes Pikachu has made background cameos; the pet tiger has referenced Pikachu when assuming himself to be the mascot character and in one episode the cast travel on a plane based on ANA Flights. In the sixth episode, a framed image of a blue Pikachu can be seen near the beginning of the episode. The image was based on one of Pikachu's anime art. In some episodes, various sound effects and background music make a reference to Pokémon.
Heroes Unknown Different characters call Hiro Nakamura Pikachu a couple of times.
Hetalia: Axis Powers (dub) Episode 18 During a battle against the Axis Powers, America chooses China to fight and says, "China, I choose you!" After beating and capturing the Axis Powers, America then says, "Yeah, we caught them all!" File:Reference Hetalia.png
House M.D Perils of Paranoia While having a discussion with his diagnostic team, House says, "Which is why Arceus created a universe with three states of matter and 300 solid and liquid poisons that causes symptoms," upon which Taub asks, "Arceus?" House then suggests he look it up.
Jackie Chan Adventures Tough Break A franchise called "Gnomekop" appears in an episode, which is Pokémon spelled backwards plus a "G". It also uses the slogan "Gotta collect 'em all", similar to Pokémon's Gotta catch 'em all!
Jeopardy! Several The franchise and parts thereof has been used in a number of clues and responses. JEOPARDYCLUE.png
Johnny Test Johnny'mon and The Return of Johnny'mon Two episodes featured Tinymon, with a Tinydex, Tiny Cubes that contain creatures, a character named Blast Ketchup, and the slogan "Gotta snatch 'em all!". The episodes feature a legendary Tinymon known as "Screechereen," which greatly resembles Shadow Lugia. Blast Ketchup's Tinymon, Kadoomerang, also slightly resembles Squirtle. Evolution and attacks are also featured. For example, Screechereen evolves from Cuddlebuns, who is said to be the weakest Pokémon. It turned out that it needs love in order for it to evolve into the legendary Tinymon. Something similar to link cables are also featured. In the plot, Johnny and his sisters get stuck in a Tinymon game and need to trade with a cable in order to get out. However, a battle must first be won in order to access that function.
Law & Order: SVU Home Invasions The father of the victim's boyfriend stated that his son still has his Pokémon cards.
Lucky Star Base of the Sun Kagami asks Konata if she has any talents besides making faces. Konata replies by stating that she can name every Pok***n. File:BaseOfTheSun.png
The Famous Shooter The characters go to a festival, and Kagami has trouble catching fish as they just swim away from her. When she finally catches one, she shouts "get da ze!", which is "Gotta catch 'em all!" in Japanese. File:TheFamousShooter.png
Pandora's Box Konata states that Kinkaku-ji is gold, but Ginkaku-ji isn't silver, referencing both the Bell and Brass Towers, and Pokémon Gold and Silver. She also wonders if they're like Po*émon, and "if they have a Sapphire and Ruby or something". File:PandorasBox.png
MAD Grey's in Anime In the "Grey's In Anime" skit, Derek Shepherd (who wears a hat similar to Ash's) throws a Poké Ball-esque object, and a Pikachu lookalike, known as "Chekaflu", shocks the patient as the doctor says "clear!"
Cliffordfield / Big Time Rushmore The episode features a skit about rejected Pokémon. Among these is Punchachu, a punching mouse with huge arms and small feet, whose Trainer looks like Max. Ironically, its special attack is kicking. Another rejected Pokémon is Glasstar, a bear-like creature made out of glass. Its special attack is "frailty". Another reject Pokémon is Buzzkill, an owl-based Pokémon, whose special attack is indifference. When told how it loves battles, all it said was, "meh" while shrugging its shoulders. The last reject Pokémon is Uncle Hank. His special attack is Confusion; all he does is get confused about what was going on.
Pokémon Park The episode that features ths skit "Pokémon Park", a spoof of Jurassic Park. An unknown Professor invited Ash (who had black curly hair and glasses), Misty (who is holding a DS and has blond hair), Jessie (who had blue hair) and James (who had green hair). It features characters similar to Charmander, Charizard, Magikarp, Gyarados, Pikachu, Pidgey and Bulbasaur. "Yu-Gi-Oh! Island" and "Digimon Island" are mentioned too. PokémonPark.png
Gaming's Next Top Princess Misty is among the contestants in "Gaming's Next Top Princess," among the likes of Samus Aran, Princess Peach, Princess Zelda, Amy Rose, Felicia, Tifa Lockhart, Lara Croft, and Birdo. Misty in MAD.png
Pooh Grit / Not-A-Fan-A-Montana One skit features a brand of gum called "Big League Pika-Chew" (a take on Big League Chew), made of real live Pikachu, and it helps people in baseball by giving the ball a shock when they hit it with a bat.
Kung Fu Blander This skit has Po, the main character of the Kung Fu Panda movie series, fighting the main villain of the second Kung Fu Panda movie, Shen. When he learns that only a hero in "black and white" can defeat Shen and that it isn't him, he resorts to pulling several items and characters matching the description to use against Shen. One of the objects Po pulls out is Reshiram and Zekrom. KungFuBlander.png
Twilight: Stalking Dawn / Cookie Blue One skit shows "PokéHarmony", which spoofs the dating website eHarmony. It starts with a Geodude who can't get a date with a boulder, and then shows a female Hitmonchan paired up with a Machamp, a Bulbasaur who decided a Venusaur was right for her despite Venusaur being "evolved enough to be her father", and Mewtwo, who didn't need anyone. Ash Ketchum hosted the fake commercial.
Pokémon of Interest
Malcolm in the Middle Company Picnic (Part 1) Dewey is sitting at a picnic table with a boy and both Pokémon cards in their hand, and can be seen making a trade. There are also cards laid on the table. The boy then offers Dewey some candy, which he is not supposed to be eating due to hyperactivity. After eating it, Dewey freaks out and throws some of the cards in the air. CompanyPicnicPart1.png
Bowling A Charmander doll can be seen sitting on the bed in some episodes, along with a Squirtle doll. Charmander Malcolm in the Middle bowling.png
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Endless Eight (part two) Two Pikachu masks, a purple Turtwig mask, a yellow Chimchar mask, and an orange Piplup mask can be seen on display. EndlessEight.png
My Babysitter's a Vampire Friday Night Frights When the ghost of Coach ED (Clé Bennett) haunts Ethan Morgan (Matthew Knight), threatening him that he'd ruin his life if he didn't win a trophy for their school, the young boy gets into a wrestling match with Kurt the Hurt (William Greenblatt). When it becomes clear that he cannot win, Ethan exclaims that he has "never won a fight" to which his friend Benny Weir (Atticus Mitchell) replies, "False; remember that time in grade 2 when I took your Pokémon lunchbox?"
My Family Pain in the Class After finding out that his mother Susan Harper (Zoë Wanamaker) has invited the parents of his school bully round to solve his bullying problem, Michael (Gabriel Thomson) says 'goodbye' to some of his possessions, including his Pokémon cards, commenting that he only had 212 left to collect.
My Hero Christmas When Ultronian superhero Thermoman, aka. George Sunday (Ardal O'Hanlon) is visiting his cousin Arnie (Lou Hirsch) in Las Vegas to ask him about the human holiday of Christmas, he says that he doesn't understand Christmas as although it is the season of goodwill, he says he was in Manchester the previous day to stop a pitched battle. Arnie asks if it was between rival gangs, but George says it was "three mums wanting the last Pokémon".
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Feeling Pinkie Keen When Twilight Sparkle gets upset over not understanding why Pinkie Pie is able to predict things she gets annoyed and flares up. She looks similar to Rapidash when she does this. File:TwilightRage.png
The Norm Show Artie Comes to Town The first scene is a parody of Pokémon, as a boy named Tommy thought he was Ash. The skit featured actors dressed as Squirtle, Pikachu, Butterfree, Charmander, and Meowth. It features a Pokémon battle between Norm and Tommy. ArtieComesToTown.png
Oblivious N/A During a speed round in a sushi bar, Regan Burns asks the contestants, "Pikachu is a character in what cartoon?" Another one of the contestants answered the $20 worth question correctly, the answer being Pokémon.
Osmosis Jones N/A When Ozzy tries to stop Drix from leaving Frank's body, one of the germs carries a Pikachu, as a joke on allergies.
Private Practice Step One An action figure of Reshiram is shown in this episode.
ReBoot My Two Bobs The episode's featured game is a game entitled "Pantsu Hebi X", which is a parody of both Pokémon-styled battles and anime in general. In it, the dog character Frisket reboots itself to resemble Pikachu.
Recess The Game The addictive card game featured in the episode, named "Ajimbo", appears to be a a parody of the Trading Card Game. Ajimbo.png
Robot Chicken Cracked China A skit titled "Pikachu Secret" in the episode parodies the anime. In its running time of 62 seconds, things happen such as Ash wondering when Misty is going to "shut up and make dinner", Gary calling Ash "ass", and Ash's Pikachu grinding another while inside its Poké Ball. PikachuSecret.png
Junk in the Trunk A skit titled "Bloopers!", which runs for 5 minutes and 13 seconds, has 26 seconds which is devoted to parodying the anime. Pikachu and Squirtle are having a conversation in Pokémon speak. Eventually, Squirtle breaks custom and starts speaking with profanity-riddled dialogue in human tongue, claiming the Pokémon speech makes no sense at all. Pikachu asks "Earl" to say the line or he'll get the gas with skunk spray, to which Squirtle asks the kids to "go read a book or something". AS-PikaandSqui.png
Caffeine-Induced Aneurysm A skit involves some children playing with Pokémon figurines and an old man exclaims that back in his day there were only 150 Pokémon, and his wife (presumably) informs him there were actually 151. He exclaims that she is a nerd, and then dies of a heart attack. Saddened, she then proclaims "That's how he would have wanted to go."
Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei Not Losing to Elbows, Not Losing to Knees When Abiru says Nozomu would look good with a tail, he was pictured with various tails including those that resemble the tails of Pikachu and Glameow. NotLosingToElbows.png
Saturday Night Live John McCain / The White Stripes In a "Hardball" sketch, Harry Belefonte (played by Tracy Morgan) makes many references to the unfair treatment of blacks. One of his references is "Pokémon is a slave trade, Pikachu is the slave master!"
Robert De Niro/ Diddy-Dirty Money In "The Abacus Conundrum" skit, one of the fake books listed is called "The Pokémon Directive," and has a Pikachu on the cover.
See Spot Run N/A James tells Gordon Smith that he had a nightmare of a Charizard trying to burn him, in resemblance to Ash's Charizard. James also tells him what a Pokémon is, as some people may not understand.
Sex and the City Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl... While looking at pictures at Charlotte's gallery, Samantha says, "You know, women dressing like men is very popular right now," to which Carrie replies, "And here I thought it was Pokémon." File:BoyGirlBoyGirl.png
The Simpsons Bart vs. Lisa vs. The Third Grade Pikachu can be seen in Bart's satellite TV-induced hallucination BartVsLisaVsThirdGrade.png
Pokey Mom The episode's title is based on the word "Pokémon".
Children of a Lesser Clod The family are watching an episode of Kids Say the Darndest Things when the host, Bill Cosby, is interviewing a guest:
Cosby: What do you like to play?
Child: Pok-ee-mon!
Cosby: Pok-ee-mon?! With the Pok-ee and the mon and the thing where the guy comes out of the thing...
File:ChildrenOfALesserClod.png
Postcards from the Wedge Bart watches the Pokémon anime on TV, with Ash in his Diamond and Pearl attire and his Pikachu; and Bart questions how did the series "stay so fresh", as a possible reference to how both the Pokémon anime and The Simpsons have been on the air for over a decade. This episode aired on the same day as the release of HeartGold and SoulSilver in the United States. PostcardsFromTheWedge.png
'Tis the Fifteenth Season
and
Fraudcast News
In the couch gag, Maggie is dressed up as a Pikachu. TisTheFifteenthSeason.png
Thirty Minutes over Tokyo The effects of Electric Soldier Porygon are experienced by the family in the episode, after they watch the local program "Battling Seizure Robots". ThirtyMinutesOverTokyo.png
Chief of Hearts Bart plays a game called "Battle Ball" (a take on Bakugan) and one boy says that the game "makes Digimon look like Pokémon". ChiefOfHearts.png
South Park Chinpokomon The episode parodies Pokémon and fad culture in general. The line of toys have additionally made cameos in many subsequent episodes. During the episode Kenny dies of an epileptic seizure as a reference to the banned episode EP038. The episode additionally heavily parodies the anime and video games to a lesser extent. Ash Ketchum and James are both parodied. Some of the "Chinpokomon" seen closely resemble Pikachu, Meowth and Charmander. Chinpokomon.png
The Suite Life on Deck Unknown Woody can be seen reading a Pokémon book.
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody Odd Couples In multiple episodes, a toy Poké Ball can be seen on a shelf in Zack and Cody's bedroom.
That's So Weird Unknown Pokémon has been mentioned multiple times in the series.
Toradora! No Matter What Minori Kushieda finds Ryūji Takasu thinking and says 「ため息ゲットだぜ!」 Tameiki getto da ze! ("I caught your sigh!"), a shout out to the Japanese slogan of the Pokémon franchise, 「ポケモンゲットだぜ!」Pokémon getto da ze!. She also referenced other popular franchises, such as Yu-Gi-Oh!. File:NoMatterWhat.png
Transformers Animated (Japanese dub) Garbage In, Garbage Out The episode's Japanese broadcast eyecatch is an homage to Who's That Pokémon?, with Wreck-Gar being the silhouetted character.[3]
Tween Academy: Class of 2012 N/A In Kara's room, a Pikachu hat can be seen on an Astro Boy statue.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US) N/A A question for $500,000 was Which of the following characters is not considered a "Pokémon"?, with the possible answers being A) Jigglypuff, B) Frodo; C) Squirtle; and D) Pikachu. After the 50/50 lifeline was used, the two remaining answers left were A and B. The contestant then took the money, leaving with $250,000.
Whose Line is it Anyway? Season 2, Episode 32; Show No. 235 Pokémon was one of the audience's suggestions used in a playing of "Film, TV & Theatre Styles", which was played out by series regulars, Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie, and the episode's fourth chair, Karen Maruyama. When Pokémon was used as a style for the scene, Karen says in a purposefully bad Asian-style accent, "Harro, [sic] I am Ichi!" She stiffly walks up to Ryan and says to him, "Please don't go!" to which he responds, "Oh, you're making my tail catch on fire!" and pretends to spew a flame from a tail, most likely referring to Charmander. As Karen turns to Colin and walks up to him, Colin spreads his arms apart and shouts, "Jigglypuff!" Karen pretends to shoot beams from her eyes, and she and Colin both jump and walk around on stage. Ryan then walks up to them and yells in a high-pitched, drawn-out voice, "Pikachu!" After Karen bobs over in front of Ryan like a drinking bird for a moment, host Drew Carey sounds the buzzer to freeze the players and change the style. Pokémon was also suggested by another audience member in a later episode's playing of the same game, but it was not used. File:Whose Line Pokémon.jpg
Season 3, Episode 34; Show No. 343 However, Pokémon was used again for a different playing of the same game, even though no audience members were intelligibly heard making that suggestion. (Though on the other hand, anime was an audience suggestion.) Kathy Greenwood is the fourth chair for this episode, joining Colin and Ryan in "Film, TV, & Theatre Styles". This was a different portraying of a Pokémon "style" in comparison to the playing in show #235. When Pokémon was used as the last style for this playing's scene, Colin shouts out, "Pikachu!" in a high-pitched voice this time instead of Ryan, causing the audience to burst out in laughter as he started walking around the stage. He then pretends to shock Ryan, who yells, "Ow!" in response and does his Charmander pose used in show #235. Colin turns around, shouts "Pikachu!" again, and walks to the other side of the small stage. He then turns back to Kathy and Ryan and sends more "shocks" towards them, causing Kathy to hop a bit on every "shock" sent towards her. (It had no effect on "Charmander Ryan", who was looking away and continuing to do his pose.) Kathy maintained her scene's character throughout the style, pretending to point a handgun at Colin. Drew sounds the buzzer several times afterwards to end the game, sending the cast members back to their seats. He also awards 1,000 extra "points" to Colin for his "Pikadoo" act (getting Colin to say, "Pikachu," once more to correct Drew, which also causes Ryan to say, "Bless you,") and says to him, "Oh, I'd love to see you and your wife going at it, man."
Wipeout (as Winter Wipeout) Baby, It's Blob Outside One of the contestants in this episode, Mika Mori, was given the nickname "Mikachu" in the episode. At one point during the episode, show co-host John Henson said that Mika was Jigglypuff'd about the height of the hurdles.

References in non-Pokémon games

Game Details Image
Yoshi's Story The stages Stage 2-3 and Stage 2-4 are made out entirely out of newspaper clippings, the text: Pikachu, among others, is seen. So far, it has only been seen in one or two areas.
Mario Artist: Paint Studio One of the official pictures shows somebody drawing a silhouette of Pikachu.
Trade & Battle: Card Hero There are a few spoofs on the Pokémon franchise in this Game Boy Color game developed by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. One example of these references is an NPC who exclaims that he has been watching the show "Rocket Monsters".[4]
Animal Crossing One of the random items a villager may ask players to collect is Pokémon Pikachu (but it is actually a Pokémon Pikachu 2 GS)
Wario Land 3 One of the game's 100 treasures is a Pokémon Pikachu; however, the player cannot interact with it.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction There's a skill point titled "Gotta Catch Them All", a reference to the franchise's original slogan.
DC Universe Online A feat in the game titled "Gotta Catch 'Em All" is achieved when players beat at least one player for every one of the six initial set of powers available in the game.
The Legend of Zelda In the Zelda series, the Keaton Mask introduced in Ocarina of Time bears a strong resemblance to Pikachu. It is mentioned in the game that Keaton "has been really popular lately", the game was released in 1998 when the fad level of Pokémon was still sharply on the rise. The item returned in Majora's Mask where wearing it in certain areas would lead to Keaton himself appearing, though this version of the character was revealed to be a kitsune. The mask also has a background cameo in Wind Waker.
Super Mario Galaxy There is a Poké Ball-shaped planet in the Buoy Base Galaxy. Inside it is a Power Star, which is needed to finish the level, possibly a reference to the Poké Ball's importance in the Pokémon games.
Harvest Moon 64 If the characters Karen and Kai were to marry and have a child, their child will be dressed in a Pikachu costume.
The Simpsons Game The game features "Sparklemon" in its Japanese level. Homer and Lisa must travel to three temples where they fight the Sparklemon in turn-based battles before they can collect them in "capturing balls". The first two Sparklemon are based on Pikachu and Squirtle. One of the Sparklemon also uses a strike called "Scratch Attack".
Sid Meier's Civilization V There are several Pokémon-themed achievements in this Steampowered game. These include achievements named "It's Super Effective!" and "Gotta Catch 'Em All".
Poker Night at the Inventory Strong Bad asks Max if he's a Pokémon (pronounced as Poke-mon).
Pikmin The S.S. Dolphin's ship part called the Bowsprit resembles a Poké Ball.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind This RPG has several Pokémon references, which include Marowak's Spine in Illunibi or the body of Peke Utchoo (whose name is parody of Pikachu). In Arkngthand, there is a Weepingbell Hall while in the Urshilaku Burial Caverns, there is a section known as Kakuna Burial.[5]
Super Scribblenauts There is a level where Maxwell has to defeat a Witch's monsters which is set out as a Pokémon Battle format.
Kid Icarus: Uprising After players defeat the Kraken as part of Dyntos's Three Trials, Pit calls the Kraken a "Tentafool", possibly a reference to Tentacool.
Draw Something Players are able to draw a Pikachu, earning one coin if chosen.
Runescape While a player is training the Dungeoneering skill in Daemonheim, after every floor players can receive a title. One of them is I choose you!, received for summoning 6 or more familiars.

Other references

  • In The Simpsons Comics, there is a story called An Anime Among Us, in which Bart has a dream sequence which contains numerous references to Japanese traditional and popular culture, including anime such as Sailor Moon and Pokémon. The most prominent references to Pokémon are Bart dressed like Ash Ketchum, a Pocket Goblins (Pockegob) Trainer, and Santa's Little Helper is a reference to Pikachu (Santa-choo). Bart fights against a trio from "Team Sprocket", with Jessica Lovejoy appearing as Jessie, Nelson Muntz appearing as James, and Martin Prince in a Meowth costume (Cat Scratch-eth). This story is available in Bart Simpson Comics issue #12 as well as the collection book Big Bratty Book of Bart Simpson.
  • In The Simpsons Comics story called Destroy All Manga!, many references to various manga and anime are made, including Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and Pokémon. A series called "Porkymen" features many Pokémon-like creatures, including "Pikkanoze", a creature which shares striking resemblance with Pikachu. Also creatures similar to Venusaur, Onix, Blastoise, Geodude and Gengar are shown. When Porkymen are chasing Mr. Sparkle, Pikkanoze says, "Catch Mr. Sparkle, my Porkymen comrades! Catch him all!!!" When Mr. Sparkle encases Porkymen in soap bubbles, Pikkanoze says that it's "somewhat familiar". This story is available in Simpsons Comics issue #45 as well as the collection book Simpsons Comics Unchained.
  • In The Simpsons Comics story called All's Veldt That Ends Veldt!, Maggie watches the aforementionned "Porkymen", which is shown to use a Pokémon-like slogan "Gotta catch 'em all!". When Maggie watches the show, Pikkanoze's eyes release rapidly flashing light, causing Maggie to become hypnotized. This is obviously a reference to the infamous "seizure episode". This story is available in Bart Simpson Comics issue #7 as well as the collection book Big Bad Book of Bart Simpson.
  • In The Simpsons Comics story called Day of the Nerd, Comic Book Guy dresses up like an anime character, using XL contact lenses to make his eyes seem like anime eyes, black laser lights to create himself speed stripes whenever he moves quickly, and a yellow cat he calls, "Comicachu", an obvious reference to Pikachu. This story is available in Simpsons Comics issue #73 as well as the collection book Simpsons Comics Beach Blanket Bongo.
  • In 2008, Japanese researchers discovered a new protein which helps carry electrical impulses from the eyes to the brain and named it Pikachurin. According to the researchers, the decision was based on both Pokémon and protein possessing "lightning-fast moves and shocking electric effects".
  • Zbtb7, a gene that discovered by a geneticist from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City, was originally named "Pokemon", stands for "POK erythroid myeloid ontogenic factor".
  • Homestar Runner has made a number of references to the series, usually playing on Pikachu's similar appearance to the character of The Cheat.[6] In particular, Pikachu appears on screen during "The Cheat Theme Song," when the lyrics are "Who's the man that looks like The Cheat?"
  • Parts of the insert song in part three of the popular flash cartoon series Charlie the Unicorn bear resemblance to the original Pokérap.
  • In the book Babymouse: Cupcake Tycoon, Pikachu is one of the many "people" seen watching an interview. It is later assumed that the same Pikachu was one of the two thousand "people" to buy Babymouse's cupcakes, as referenced by the narrator asking Babymouse how she was going to get her cupcakes to Japan.
  • In Neil Gaiman's novella Coraline, the illustration on page 88 shows a Pikachu head among several other toys.
  • In the Love Hina manga, the main character, Keitaro Urashima, can be seen with a Pikachu photo sticker while he checks his photo album filled with pictures of himself.
  • In The Lonely Island song, Japan, they mention Pokémon.
  • In 2005, Bow Wow released a song called B.O.W., which in it he mentioned Pokémon.
  • During a Republican debate for the United States presidential election, 2012, candidate Herman Cain quotes a 'poet' saying "Life can be a challenge, life can seem impossible, but it's never easy when there's so much on the line." These are actually the beginning lines of The Power of One, the theme song for the movie of the same name. During his withdrawal speech, he reused the line but with proper attribution.
  • On Annoying Orange, in Marshmallow's parody of the 12 days of Christmas, 3 Pokémon were one of his gifts.
  • In an interview with CultBox, Hollyoaks actor Andrew Still, who portrays Joel Dexter in the series, was asked what TV show reminded him of his childhood, to which he replied: "Definitely Pokémon. I remember going to a childminder when I was around 5 and me and all the other kids there would sit religiously around the TV and watch it".[7]
  • In the novel Mad Dogs, Pokemon (sic) was mentioned as one of the fads that had passed around CHERUB campus.
  • During the Hetalia: Axis Powers 2011 Christmas event, Ladonia was passing the time playing Pokémon on his Game Boy and stated his favorite Pokémon was Stunfisk in his rushed introduction to Denmark.[8]
  • One of the screensavers included in XScreenSaver is called "JigglyPuff" (sic).[9]
  • In Volume 5 of the Sword Art Online light novel series, when discussing possible ways for someone to shoot a bullet in virtual reality and kill someone else in real life, Kirito mentions an instance in which animation effects in an episode of a certain anime caused children across Japan to become sick.[10]

References


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